A solo exhibition by leading Korean sculptor Han Jin-sub, titled, “S. Andreas Kim Tae-gon, unveiled at the Vatican,” has been held at the Gana Art Center in Pyeongchang-dong until January 14.
Han Jin-sub is the first Korean artist to have a sculpture of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon (1821-1846) installed at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
This solo exhibition, held at the Gana Art Center for the first time in nearly a decade since 2014, will introduce the process in detail and shed light on the artistic world that Han Jin-sub pursues.
Beginning with an introduction to the process of creating the statue of Father Kim Tae-gon over a period of two years and the creation of a 60cm statue of Father Kim Tae-gon in the same form as the one installed in the Vatican, this exhibition will show the process of creating and installing the statue of Father Kim Tae-gon, which was installed in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican in September 2023, and will serve as an opportunity to reflect on the artistic world that Han Jin-sub has built independently.
The first part of the exhibition consists of an archive of the model samples submitted to the Vatican for the production of the statue of Father Kim Tae-gon, video and photographic materials documenting the production process, a timeline, and a video of the thanksgiving Mass and blessing ceremony held at St. Peter’s Basilica on September 16 by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the chief priest of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The second and third halls of the exhibition will showcase about 30 works, including sculptures of holy figures that focus on props that Han Jin-sub has been working on.
Among them, in the third exhibition hall, a 60-centimeter sculpture of Father Kim Tae-gon, which has the same form as the one installed in the Vatican, and a part of the stone (Bianco Carrara) used to make the statue of Father Kim Tae-gon installed in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, will be introduced together to capture the time and effort that the artist has put into his work.
The statue of Father Kim Tae-gon Andrew, the first Korean Catholic priest, was installed in a niche on the right exterior wall of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, a niche that had been vacant for 550 years. Standing 3.77 meters high, 1.83 meters wide, and 1.2 meters tall, the full-length statue of Father Kim is dressed in traditional Korean garb, including a gat and dopo, with open arms that embrace all things.
It is the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that a statue of an Asian saint has been installed on the exterior wall of St. Peter’s Basilica, a holy place for Catholics.
For this exhibition, Han Jin-sup created another 60-centimeter version of Father Kim Tae-gon’s statue in the same form as the one installed in the Vatican.
The artist said, “When I finished this work, I realized that the statue of Father Kim Tae-gon in the Vatican was not achieved by my own strength. I think I was able to do it with the help of the Holy Spirit.”
Han was able to create the statue of Father Kim Tae-gon in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican because he is a Catholic, has been carving stone for a long time, studied abroad in Italy for 10 years, and is an artist who can work in Italy.
Reflecting on this process, he said, “Maybe what happened to me was training for the eventual creation of the statue of Father Kim Tae-gon in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Maybe it was all part of God’s plan.”
With “S. Andreas Kim Tae-gon, unveiled at the Vatican,” Gana Art presented the process of making the statue of Father Kim Tae-gon, which Han Jin-sup worked on for two years, and shed new light on the artist’s condensed passion for stone, which has been adhering to traditional methods of expression while exploring various forms and themes.
It is hoped that this exhibition will provide a peaceful moment for visitors to the gallery that will resonate deeply in their hearts.
Exhibition Overview
Exhibition Name: “Father Andreas Kim Tae-gon, Standing in the Vatican
Organizer: Gana Art
Venue: Gana Art Center (28, Pyeongchang 30-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul)
Date: Dec. 15, 2023 (Fri.) – Jan. 14, 2024 (Sun.) (31 days in total)
Entries: 30 sculptures
Career of sculptor Han Jin-sub
1985 Graduated from the Sculpture Department, National Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara, Carrara, Italy
1981 Master in Sculpture, Hongik University Graduate School, Seoul, Korea
1979 B.A. in Sculpture, Hongik University, College of Fine Arts, Seoul, Korea
Major Solo Exhibitions
2023 Gana Art Center, Seoul
2007 Gana Insa Art Center, Seoul
1994 Gana Art Gallery, Seoul
1984 Jin Gallery, Seoul
1983 La Pantera Gallery, Pisa, Italy
1982 Astrolabio Gallery, Rome, Italy
1981 Jin Gallery, Seoul
